The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-07-30
LITERARY NOTES.
I-Jlme, WAtcom5 Rlcy m Centn

The opening article in the August number
Of Tie Popular ScieHcs NoRhiy is the second
Of the Hon David A Wells papers on " The
Economic Dihurban. es Since 1873 In
this paper the author discovers an important
factor of disturbance in the enormous ex
passion which has taken place in the means
Of production and transportation, through
which abrupt changes have been imposed
upon the conditions and methods Of transac
ton of nearly every branch Of business.
Ex President A. d. White continues his
New Chapters in the Warfare of Science
dealing with the middle age ecclesiastical
views respecting meteorological phenomena;
these are sharply contrasted with the amos,
universal modern view that law governs
them all. In "The Falls of the Mississippi,
Mr.. J. A. Keys advances theory that the
upper channel Of that river has been exca
waited by the recession of n great cataract
from the lower end of the range Of bluffs, Of
which the Falls of St. Anthony are dmin
ished relic and representative. In the third
paper Of his Astronomy with an Opera
Glass" Mr.. Serviss describes and illustrates
pictorial'y wha, eau be seen IN the moon and
the sun with that handy little instrument.
NJ Stsnislaus Meunier, in Changes in the
Aspect of Mars" gives an account of the re-
cent remarkable discoveries of W. Schiapa-
reli on the surface of that planet, which ap
pear to reveal changes going on in its geo
graphical conhguration. Mr. Charles ).
Ashley offers sharp argument against
Educational Endowmcnts" Sir Philip
Magnus appe rs with q paper in favor of
Manual Training in School Education" in
the course Of which he makes the following
observation, which IL worth the serious
thought of our local school managers:
rHg STUDY OF THINGS AND or BOOKS
An objection IL sometimes raised TO the
introduction Of manual training into elemen-
tary schools on the ground that, rs the chill
dren Of the working classes necessarily leave
school at an early age, and spend their lives
for the most part In manual work, such time
AS they can give to study should be occupied
in other pursuits Sin cuuvating taste for
reading, AMI in the &C luisition Of book
knowledge. The objection is due to n mis-
conception OF the true objects and AIMS Of
education, and to an imperfect knowledge of
what is meant by work shop instruction. To
assume that the best education can be given
thr, ugh the medium of books only, ana can
not be equ ,lly well obtained from the study
Of things, is survival of the medi;cyalism
against which nearly all modern educational
authorities protest. But there is another
and more deeply rooted error In this argu
meDt. People often talk and write a.
schOol-time should be utilized for teaching
those things which child is not likely to
care to learn in after life, whereas, the real
aim Of school education should be to create n
desire to continue in afler-life the pursuit OF
the knowledge and the skill acquired in
school In other words the school should
be made, as far ~ possible, preparation for
the whole work Of life, and should naturally
lead up TO it, The endeavor OF all educators
should be TO establish such relation be.
TWEEN school instruction and the occupa
tons Of life AZ TO prevent any break Of con.
tinuiiy IN passing from one TO the other.
The methods by which we gain information
and experiences in the busy world should be
identical with those adopted in schools
The August 81. Nicholas is particularly
breezy and summary. 1t opens with
beautiful frontispiece, by Mary Hsllocl
Foote, illustrating some bright verses by
Edith NJ. Thonis. entitled Invita- ion t,
Echo; and the illustrator turns author il
charming sketch Of Rocky Mountain life
called can Idaho Picnic" Another arts
tells his own story with pen as well as pen
ell in The Hgurehead Of the James Star
buck, capital uea story told ashore. Their